Furnace.



PATE'NTED TUNE 2, 1908.

E. H. CARROLL.

FURNACE.-

APPLICATION rmm n-ov. mg, 1901.

2 SHEETS-SHEET .1-

KO IODEL.

No. 729,540 PATENTED JUNE 2, 1903. E. H. CARROLL.

FURNACE. 4

APPLICATION TILED NOV. 25, 1901. I

' 2 SHEETS-SHERYL m: NORRIS Pzrsns co. worn-Limo, wAsnma'rum n c.

:INrEED STATES Patented June 2, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

EI JBERT H. CARROLL, OF WORCESTER MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO MOR- GANCOlNSTRUCTION COMPANY, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OFMASSACHUSETTS.

FURNACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 729,540, dated' June 2,1903.

Application filed November 25,1901. SerialiNo. 83,670. KNomodel.)

'l'o alZ whom it map/concern;

Be it known that I, ELBERT H. CARROLL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Worcester, in the county of WVorcester and Commonwealth ofMassachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement'in Furnaces,of which the following is a specification, accompanied by drawingsforming part of the same, in which Figure 1 represents a plan view of afurnace embodying my invention and represented in sectional view bythe-removal of the roof por tion in order to disclose theheating-chamber and the mechanism embodying my present.

invention. Fig. 2 is a central vertical longitudinal sectional View ofthat part of the furnace represented in Fig. 1. Fig. 3is a transversesectional view on line 3 3, Fig. 2; and Figs. & to 12, inclusive, arediagrammatical views illustrating the different positions of the billetlifting and turning mechanism and also illustrating its action upon thebillets at different periods of its movement. Similar reference-lettersrefer. to s'imilar parts in the different views.

My present invention relates to a furnace for heating billets; andit hasfor-its object to provide means for the uniform-heatingof the differentsides of the billet and for the better diffusion of heat through themass ofv the billet, and I accomplish this result by providing means forsuccessively turning-each billet as it approaches the delivery-openingof the furnace in order to, present the different sides of the billet tothe action of heated gases and for maintaining open spaces be-' tweenthe billets as they approach-the delivcry-opening; and my inventionconsists intaining an open spacerbetween ,it and the nextsucceedingbillet to" permit the circulation around: the billet of'heated gases. In

per ends with teeth E spacedto receive a billet between them, and

anism for this purpose and embodying my invention, the novelfeatureshaving been set forth in the annexed claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, A A denote the sidewalls, and Bthe roof, of a billet-heating furnace having a heating- .chamber C,provided with a longitudinal a hearth or supporting-surface D. As theadvancing billet in the series C falls upon '.the supporting-surface Dit occupies the position of the billet a, Figs. 2 and 4. The

hearth D isprovided with openings D for a 'pair ofvertical reciprocatinglifting-plates E,

supported at their lower-ends by a transverse oscillating beam E andprovided at their up- The teeth E are the forward sidesE of each of theteeth are inclined, while therear sides E are vertical. The rockingbar'E' is provided with arms E E connected by links E E with bell-cranksE E The bell-cranks E E are connected by a link E with a reciprocatingpiston-rod E of a steam or hydraulic cylinder E by which .a rockingmotion is imparted to the bell-cranks E E anda rising-and-fallingmovement to the lifting plates E, by which the ends of the teethE arecarried from a" position above the hearth D, as shown in,Fig.

4, to a position .below the hearth D, asshown in- Fig. 5,anduvice'versa. The arms E at the opposite ends of therocking bar E areconnected by links E with arms.E attached to a rocking shaft E whichextends transversely across the furnace and is actuated by a hydraulicor steam cylinder E having its piston-rod E operatively connected with aradial arm E on the rocking shaft E The oscillating motion of the shaftE imparts a backward-and-forward movement in a horizontal plane to theliftingplates E. By means of the connected actuating mechanism asdescribed the following motions are imparted to the lifting-plates E, asillustrated in the diagrammatical views, Figs. 4: to 12, incl usive Inthe normal position of theliftingplates E the teeth E are raised abovethe supporting-hearth D and at a suflicient distance from the inclinedsection 0 of the track to allow a billet to rest upon the hearth D inthe position of the billet a, Fig. 4, and against the vertical side ofthe first. tooth upon the liftingplates E. At the first movement of thelifting-plates E they are carried vertically downward into the positionshown in Fig. 5, with the ends of the teeth E a short distance below thesurface of the supporting-hearth D. The second movement imparted to theliftingplates E moves them forward in the direction of the arrow 1, Fig.(3, in order to bring the first tooth beneath the edge of the billet a.The third movement raises the lifting-plates E, causing billet a, to beturned over onequarter turn, as shown in Fig. 7, the complete elevationof the lifting-plates E carrying them into the position shown in Fig. 8,with the billet a between the first two teeth of the lifting-plates andmoved along a short distance from the inclined section C of the track.The fourth movement depresses the lifting-plates into the position shownin Fig. 9. The fifth movement of the lifting-plates carries them back inthe direction of the arrow 2 into a position with the first toot-hbeneath the edge of the billet a. The sixth movetnent carries thelifting-plates upward, turning the billeta one-quarter turn and holdingit between the first and second teeth of the lifting-plates, as shown inFig. 11, and leaving a space 0 between the vertical side of the firsttooth and the inclined section C of the track. A reciprocating motion isthen given to the pushing mechanism in the usual and well-known manner,by which the whole series of billets are moved along and the advancingbillet I) pushed over into the space between the inclined section of thetrack and the upright side of the first tooth of the lifting-plates E.The successive movements of the lifting-plates E, as above described,are then repeated, and the operation is continued until all the spacesbetween the teeth E of the lifting-plates are filled with billets, asshown in Figs. 1 and 2. At this point each successive cycle of movementswill delivera billet upon an endless conveyer-chain F, movingtransversely across the furnace and driven by asuitable drivingmechanism. (Not shown.) The lowersection or loop of the chain F passesthrough a reservoir F of water, by which the chain is cooled. The sidewalls of the furnace are provided with openings G G, through which thebillet is delivered by an endwise movement from the conveyer-chain Fupon con veyer-rolls H upon one side of the furnace, or by reversing themovement of the chain upon conveyer-rolls H upon the opposite side ofthe furnace.

The operation of my mechanism for turning and advancing the billets atthe delivery end of the furnace is as follows: A series of billets C isformed on the track C in the usual manner, the admission of eachsucceeding billet causing the series to be advanced the thickness of abillet until the billets reach the inclined section C of the track,

when the advancing billet falls upon the hearth D and is stopped inproper position on the hearth by the vertical side of the first tooth Eof the lifting-plates E, as represented in diagrammatical view in Fig.4:. The lifting-plates are then lowered into the position shown in Fig.5. They are next moved forward in the direction of the arrow 1 into theposition shown in Fig. 6. From the position shown in Fig. 6 thelifting-plates E are raised into the position shown in Fig. 8, thevertical motion of the lifting-plates turning the billet a one-quarterturn, as illustrated in Fig. 7. The lifting-plates are then lowered intothe position shown in Fig. 9 and are next moved back in the direction ofthe arrow 2 into the position shown in Fig. 10. The lifting-plates E areagain raised into the position shown in Fig. 11 with the billet a,inclosed in the first space between the teeth of the lifting-plates andwith the lifting-plates in position to receive the next billet b in theseries which is pushed upon the hearth D. The billets a, and b thenoccupy the position shown in Fig. 12, with the lifting-plates in theraised position, the same as shown in Figs. 4 and 12, when the cycle ofmovements of the liftingplates E is then repeated, moving the billets aand b along'the space of one toot-h and making room for the nextsucceeding billet of the series C and so on until all the spaces betweenthe teeth of the lifting-plates are filled with billets, which are heldapart by the teeth E of the lifting-plates E, as shown in Fig. 2. Eachcycle of movements of the lifting-plates will then cause the advancingbillet to be delivered upon the conveyor-chain F, and a fresh billetwill be received upon the hearth D against the teeth of thelifting-plates. In my improved apparatus each of the liftingplates E isprovided with five teeth E thereby causing the billets to besuccessively turned one-quarter turn by the vertical movement of each ofthe teeth E and finally be delivered upon the rotating conveyor-chain Fand delivered through one of the openings in the side walls of thefurnace either upon the conveyor-roll H or H, according to the directionin which the conveyor-chain F is moving.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a billet-heating furnace the combination with a heating-chamberhaving a floor or hearth provided with an opening, of a billetturningmechanism arranged to move vertically through said opening and engagethe ICC billet as it rests upon said floor or hearth, substantially asdescribed.

2. In a'billet-heating furnace the combination with a heating-chamberand a longitudinal track for billets, of a hearth at a slightlylowerlevelthan said track, said track havingv openings for a billet-turningmechanism, and a billet-turning mechanism operating through saidopenings, whereby each of the billets is turned as it passes over saidhearth, substantially as described.

3. In a billet-heating furnace provided with openings in the floor orhearth of the heatingchamber, of a vertically-reciprocating turningmechanism operating through said opening to turn a billet on said flooror hearth, substantially as described.

4. The combination with the heating-chamber of a billet-heating furnacehaving an opening in the bottom of said chamber for the introduction ofa billet-turning mechanism, of a billet-turning mechanism comprising averticallyreciprocating plate having teeth by which the billets areengaged and turned,

substantially as described.

5. In a billet-heating furnace the billetturning mechanism consisting ofa verticallyreciprocating plate arranged to strike the under side of abillet, and by a lifting movement turn the billet, substantially asdescribed.

6. In a furnace for heating billets the billetturning mechanismconsisting of a verticallyreciprocating plate operating through anopening in the floor of the heating-chamber, said reciprocating platehaving a series of teeth projecting above the floor of the furnace onthe upward movement of said plate, whereby the billets are lifted by theends of said teeth and turned, substantially as described.

7. In a furnace for heating billets, the com-' above thebillet-supporting surface to form a stop for a billet as it falls oversaidstep, means for depressing said plate to carry its teeth below thebilletsupporting surface, means for moving said plate beneath thebillet, and means for raising the plate to strike the under side of thebillet and turn the same, substantially as described.

8. In abillet-heating furnace provided with an opening in thebillet-supporting surface each billet is advanced along the billet-sup-7o porting surface by the upward movement of said plate, substantiallyas described.

10. In a billet-heating furnace, the combination with theheating-chamber, of a billetsupporting surface, a reciprocating toothedplate having wedge-shaped teeth and located beneath said billet-s11pporting surface, means for imparting to said plate rising-and-fallingand forward-and-backward movements, whereby said teeth are made to turnand advance the billets, substantially as described.

11. In a billet-heating furnace the combination with a billet-supportingsurface upon which the billets are moved from the admission to thedelivery end of the furnace, of a conveyer by which the billets aremoved transversely to the furnace and in alinement'with adelivery-opening, a vertically-reciprocating mechanism by which thebillets are succes sively moved from said billet-supporting surface uponsaid conveyer, and means for actuating said reciprocating mechanism, substantially as described.

ELBERT H. oARRoLL.

Witnesses:

RUFUS B. FOWLER, M. M. SCHNERMANN.

